Morning Workouts

It is 8:30am. Tara is sitting at her computer, starting to draft this blog post. Already, she has run 10 miles, showered, dressed, and made breakfast. For the past three months, this is the way that Tara has started each day. The verdict? Morning workouts are THE BEST. Ever.

Why? Well, for starters, it becomes a routine. For those who know they should work out (and keep meaning to, but something always ends up getting in the way), this is key. And for those who already work out on a regular basis, being in a routine is still majorly beneficial. When you make morning workouts a routine, then exercise is no longer something that you have to try to plan into your day. There is no hassle and no stress, because you don’t have to struggle to find time to exercise. There is already time set aside automatically for you to use! And since it’s the first thing that you do that day, nothing can come up to deter you from doing it!

Another benefit of early morning workouts: your brain hasn’t fully woken up yet. You just roll out of bed and GO. No questions asked. This prevents your brain from being able to convince you to do otherwise ;)

When you finish, you’ll feel great. We promise :) Starting your day with a workout gets you moving and motivated. By the time you’re eating breakfast, you’ve already accomplished so much!! You’ll be proud of yourself, and it will automatically put you in a productive mood. Even though you’ll probably go to bed earlier in order to get enough sleep before your potentially predawn wake-up, you’ll end up getting just as much, if not more, done in the day. Plus, exercise makes you energized in general. It gets your brain and body pumped up for the day ahead. Who needs caffeine when you can get the same buzz from a runners’ high? ;)

And for those of you with stress or anxiety, morning workouts are golden. Exercising in the morning lets you experience the world while most people are still sleeping. Start your day with serenity instead of stress. It’s your own personal morning meditation time, allowing you to clear your head and be in a good mentality as you embark on the day’s doings.

So you want to try out some morning workout madness? (We really think you should!!) Here are some tips for how to get started:

Figure out how much time you need to allow for your workout. Have an early start to your day? No worries, so do we! Some days, we have classes starting at 9am. “Early” just takes on a whole new meaning. For us, early now means a 6am wake-up. (Craig’s dad has been known to get up at 4:30am to get his workout in before heading to work. ‘Nough said.).

Set your alarm clock. If you can, pick some fun music to wake up with and put you in a good mood. And no snooze button allowed!! Commit.

Be prepared. Do whatever you need to do to make the morning hassle free. Set your clothes out the night before. If you want, you can set up breakfast too [either make some overnight oats (E2 Coach Char calls this “breakfast pudding”) or set up a grain in the rice cooker] so that when you get back from your workout, it’s ready to eat! If you’re heading to the gym, have a piece of fruit or granola bar and water bottle ready to go. This will help make things run smoothly and efficiently.

Stay off your computer and smart phone until after you get done exercising. You can check the weather if you’re heading outside, but no email, Facebook, Twitter, instagram (or social media of any kind). Seriously. Hold yourself to this. Your inbox will still be there when you get back, and the world won’t move on without you. Give yourself some time of disconnect.

Find something you truly enjoy. We believe that there is something out there for everyone!! Running is our favorite way to exercise, but there are tons of other ways to get moving! Biking, hiking, roller skating, swimming, yoga, zumba, kickboxing, skiing, tennis, etc (we could really go on forever). Explore the wide world of options :)

Make exercise a priority, and get into a routine. Wake up with the sun (or before it!) and get moving. You’ll be amazed at how great you feel :)